Fall 2025 update from the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre

Dear new and returning students, welcome to the University of Alberta! Whether this is your first term or you are returning to continue your studies, we are glad you are part of our vibrant community of over 45,000 students and 15,000 faculty and staff.

I would like to inform you about a vital campus service located in the Student Union Building on campus: the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre (UASAC).

The UASAC is a safe and welcoming space dedicated to preventing sexual and gender-based violence, supporting survivors, and building a culture of consent across campus. Our services include drop-in crisis intervention counselling, longer-term psychological support, education and volunteer programs and outreach across all campus sites (main campus, Augustana, and Campus Saint-Jean). Accessing UASAC services comes at no extra cost as the annual student mandatory non-instructional fees cover them.

For over three decades, UASAC has worked alongside students, faculty, staff and community partners to foster a culture of consent and care. Guided by trauma-informed and person-centred principles, we are committed to building a safer, more inclusive campus. Our continued impact is made possible through our dedicated team, strong partnerships, shared accountability, sustainability and transparency.

I am happy to share that the UASAC made significant contributions to advancing and supporting 8 Student Experience Action Plan (SEAP) goals and driving progress on 16 associated actions. These achievements demonstrate the Centre’s integral role in translating strategic objectives into measurable outcomes.

We invite you to learn more about the UASAC and get involved. Please visit our website for more information or drop by the Student Union Building to connect with our fabulous team. Our hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.

On a different but somewhat related note, I am excited to announce the appointment of the new UASAC Manager, Virginia Duran. In her words, “ I'm a Registered Social Worker with 14 years of experience and a Master's in Clinical Social Work. My specialization is in comorbid disorders (mental health and addiction), where I apply a comprehensive biopsychosocial-spiritual approach to my practice.

Over the years, I've worked with high-risk youth, helped with complex transitions to adulthood, facilitated family reunification and led in-patient mental health and addiction treatment programs, including on-the-land initiatives. I've also conducted rural community needs assessments and developed new programs. Most recently, I successfully established a single-session therapy and drop-in service at the University of Alberta.

In addition to my decade of leadership in human social services, I've facilitated Mental Health First Aid training across Canada. I'm passionate about developing creative, collaborative initiatives that holistically promote wellness and a sense of belonging. ”

Please join us in welcoming Virginia to the UASAC. We wish her all the best in this new role.

Looking to the future, several key considerations will guide our strategic direction:

• Program expansion: We are exploring the potential to expand the Centre’s mandate to more explicitly address all forms of relationship violence.

• Proposed name change: We are currently evaluating whether a name change would better reflect the Centre’s evolving scope and inclusive approach. We are pursuing a name change that reduces barriers to access and more accurately reflects the services provided, including support for all types of relationship violence. Thus far, UASAC has completed an environmental scan to determine naming best practices in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and consulted with our advisory committee for direction and feedback on priorities. In the Fall, we will continue consultation with the university community, including a large-scale call for feedback during Consent Week in September.

• Student traineeship program: We are embedding research and evaluation into our service delivery model for continuous process improvement and impact assessment while also demonstrating value for investment.

• Strengthening and building partnerships: We actively work with different partners (faculty, students, staff, AASAS, SACE, GoA, CoE, UAI, ONN and other SSE units) to support survivors and build a culture of safety and consent across campuses, including North Campus, Campus Saint-Jean, and Augustana. Please see below for some examples of such work and partnerships:

Sexual exploitation awareness campaign: In collaboration with partners such as the City of Edmonton, ACT Alberta, we are developing targeted information sessions and educational materials to raise awareness about exploitative "sex-for-rent" arrangements. These sessions will equip students with the tools to recognize housing-related red flags, understand available housing supports and identify signs of sexual exploitation. Importantly, the materials will also clarify the distinction between consensual sex work and sexual exploitation, ensuring that students are informed about their rights and the legal and social frameworks in Alberta.

Additional information about our programs

Education Program

Consent Week (September 22-26) is an educational initiative dedicated to promoting a culture of consent, healthy relationships and preventing sexual violence. The week features a variety of events, including interactive tabling, creative activities, educational workshops and community conversations. The programming combines educational content with creative elements, including hands-on sessions like collage making, consent trivia, film screenings and both in-person and online workshops. Consent Week aims to support the development of a campus culture centred on consent, providing spaces for community dialogue and connection around safety and respect and connecting participants with campus and community support resources.

Volunteer Program

The UASAC has reopened its volunteer program with a new, refocused role: Student Education Volunteers. This role is open to registered students at the U of A, with a focus on cultivating a safer campus. Volunteers will be trained as anti-sexual violence advocates through training on delivering comprehensive workshops, engaging in community outreach and leading on-campus activities that raise awareness and provide peer support.

Our program received 40 volunteer applications in the spring of 2025, resulting in 32 interviews, and currently has 19 active volunteers. The volunteer training program runs through August. This is an annual program, and the volunteers become active from September through April.

Psychological Support Program

Drop-in Services

Our drop-in services offer clinical single session and short-term supportive mental health services throughout the year to individuals who have experienced sexual and gender based violence. The drop-in team provides restricted and unrestricted psychosocial interventions, resource information, system navigation and bridging support to individuals.

Psychological Treatment Services

The UASAC psychological treatment services provide longer-term psychosocial interventions that include individual and group therapy, resource-based counselling and trauma treatment, all of which run year-round. Our clinical team is a mixture of registered psychologists and social workers, with specialized training in trauma-informed approaches and treatment.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at UASAC@ualberta.ca.

Once again, welcome to the University of Alberta.

Sincerely,

Dr. Dunsi Strohschein
Assistant Dean, Community Wellness Support